This invention relates generally to an electroforming process, and more particularly concerns a process for creating a bowed electroform.
The fabrication of hollow metal articles by an electroforming process is well known. For example, hollow metal articles are fabricated by electro-depositing a metal onto an elongated mandrel which is suspended in an electrolytic bath. The resulting seamless electroformed tubes are thereafter removed from the mandrel by sliding the tube off one end of the mandrel. Different techniques have been developed for forming and removing tubes from electroforming mandrels depending upon the cross-sectional area of the electroformed tube. Examples of these techniques are described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,844,906 to R. E. Bailey et al. and U.S. Pat. No. 4,501,646 to W. G. Herbert.
One use of these seamless electroformed tubes is as an imaging surface (i.e. photoreceptor or photoconductor) in an electrostatographic printer or copier. However, a deficiency of these electroformed imaging surfaces are the "steering" problems that can occur as the imaging surface rotates about roller(s) or like cylindrical device. One method of "steering" the imaging surface involves the use of stops (e.g. rubber material) along the edges of the imaging surface as the imaging surface rotates. These rubber stops act as a guide for the imaging surface, causing the imaging surface to align itself by bumping into the rubber stops during rotation. Unfortunately, the bumping action between the stops and the imaging surface to keep the imaging surface in place can cause motion quality problems and image defects.
The following disclosures may be relevant to various aspects of the present invention and may be briefly summarized as follows:
U.S. Pat. No. 3,984,183 to Maksymiak discloses the self-stripping action of a copy sheet from an imaging surface after transfer in electrostatographic copying is substantially increased by slightly curving the imaging surface transverse their mutual direction of movement to provide a slight corresponding crown in the copy sheet on the imaging surface at the stripping area where the imaging surface is curved away from the path of the copy sheet in their direction of movement. Examples of the imaging surface are a substantially cylindrical photoreceptor surface with a uniform slight continuous crown, or a flexible belt slightly deformed over a crowned support roller.